Johann Heinrich Bernstorff, Graf von

Bernstorff, Johann Heinrich, Graf von (yōhänˈ hĪnˈrĭkh gräf fən bĕrnsˈtôrf) [key], 1862–1939, German diplomat. As ambassador to the United States (1908–17), he tried to conciliate American feelings toward Germany and repeatedly warned his government that unrestricted submarine warfare would bring the United States into World War I. A member of the Reichstag from 1921 to 1928 and a delegate to the League of Nations disarmament conference (1926–31), he went into exile at Geneva after Hitler took power in Germany. His memoirs were published in 1936.